Tuesday, July 13, 2010

Tuesday's Tips and Techniques for Watercolor Painting

People Silhouettes
Not ready to add people to your watercolor landscapes? Instead of going for the full details, practice making silhouette shapes of people. A tiny little silhouette of a person can add a little life to your landscapes.

Start by making a simple practice background. I chose a sunset on the beach. When the background is completely dry, add the people. Don't forget about scale and depth. People far off in the distance will be smaller than those closer to the viewer.

Create your people in a variety of stances, different poses. Make some people standing still. Some can be walking. Pair an adult with a child. Give them a simple activity. Here I had two of the people flying kites. Ladies can wear skirts.

Practice and have fun with it. When you get the hang of it, don't be afraid to add a little silhouette of a person to one of your landscapes.

6 comments:

Kathryn Dyche said...

I haven't had the courage to try people yet but thanks for the tips.

Pam of Always Artistic said...

Wow I am in love with this painting, gorgeous! Love this tip!

irinasztukowski said...

Hi Rita, great tip. Thanks, Love my Tuesday mornings :)
Irina (www.IrinaSztukowski.com)

Lee Pierce said...

Great tip! Thanks for sharing :D
Beach sunset is a great backdrop!

Rita said...

Thank you all so much.

Keep it simple, practice and soon adding people to landscapes will be a breeze!

Kathleen said...

Great idea =) People do add a lot of interest to some scenes! Great painting and good advice!

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